Never Get Your Hair Cut on Vacation
by Queen Lucetta
Summary: AU, Human names used. Ludwig gets accused of murder and now it's up to Feli and two detectives to prove he's innocent. Is he? (Note: this story does not accurately represent the criminal justice system.)
1. Foam Lobster Hats

A/N: Hey all! I'm trying something a little different this time. This is just a weird idea I came up with and is in no way meant to educate on how the justice system works. It basically follows the Phoenix Wright formula of investigation and court room drama. It's not factually accurate at all, and is meant to be a light, silly venture. Well, hopefully enjoy!

* * *

The hotel door was flung open as a very tired Feliciano and an even more tired Ludwig busted in. Feli tossed his many souvenirs aside, including his absurdly expensive foam lobster hat and immediately started to dress for bed. Ludwig barely had enough energy to make it to the bed, which may have been unusual for him, but the Italian hadn't noticed. So the German took off his coat and hung it before collapsing onto the bed fully dressed. Then he unstrapped his belt and stuffed it into the nightstand on his side of the bed. The Italian joined him seconds later in just his underwear.

For a while Ludwig laid there motionless while his Italian companion snuggled into his chest. He groaned a little when the smaller started talking. "Ludwig!" Feli said while cuddling and resting his head on the German's shoulder. "I forgot to ask earlier, do you like my new hair cut?"

The blonde took a few seconds to turn his head and open his eyes. He sighed then. "It looks exactly the same."

"Ve, no it doesn't!" Feli said in protest, trying to look cute. "I'm like a whole new man!"

Ludwig just rolled his eyes before closing them again. A few seconds later and he was sound asleep. The Italian wasn't far behind and was out like a light moments after.

Their room was small and only had one bed. Under normal circumstances Ludwig would have insisted on getting a room with two beds, or even two separate rooms. Since he was here with Feli though, he knew it would be pointless to try and sleep alone. He'd have to listen to the Italian whining the whole time about the hotel room being dark and scary, and if they got a room with two beds he'd just come over anyway. Might as well save the money.

They both slept soundly all night. Anyone looking in would probably get the wrong idea about their relationship, and Ludwig was already tired of explaining that they were just friends and roommates. Let them think what they wanted anyway. He was so far beyond caring at this point and he certainly wasn't going to lose any more sleep over it.

The night was calm and uneventful. Nothing stirred either party from their sleep until morning, with the German waking first. Since it would probably be a while until his friend woke up, he decided to get started on breakfast. They ate out yesterday, so today they'd be getting sausages, so thought Ludwig. The Canadian style sausages he'd picked up at the start of the trip were pretty good, not brat wurst by any means, but still good. As he was frying up breakfast, there was a knock at the door. He sighed and assumed his self-centered brother had somehow discovered where they went and followed as to not be left out. Once he opened it though, he was surprised to see two police officers standing there. "What seems to be the problem officers?" He assumed they were doing a routine drug sweep or something. He certainly wasn't prepared for what was coming.

"Ludwig Beilschmidt, you're under arrest for the murder of Toris Lorinaitis, Raivis Galante and Eduard Von Bock..." He proceeded to read the Miranda rights while the other cuffed Ludwig.

Although he didn't resist, he did protest. "This is absurd! I didn't kill anyone!"

All of the commotion woke the unsuspecting Italian. Once he caught sight of police and his friend in handcuffs, he raised his hands up in terror. A few seconds later the police and Ludwig left the room, leaving Feli alone and confused. He got up to follow, chasing the police down the hall in his underwear. "Wait! Where are you taking him?" He yelled with tears welling up.

Both police officers stopped briefly and looked at the Italian. Ludwig made no attempt to escape. "Your boyfriend's under arrest son."

"Ve, you can't do that! Ludwig's a really nice guy and would never break the law!" He was shaking, and was far too scared to touch the officers, but there was also an unusual determination in his eyes.

"Sorry kid, the facts say he's our guy. It's a pretty serious charge considering three people are dead." The officers seemed out of their element as they explained this. Truth was the cops around the area didn't see a whole lot of action, and this was their first actual arrest. "Come by later on if you want to see him."

"Yeah, maybe he'll be found innocent, but we can't take your word for it." At that they continued on. Feli watched helplessly as his friend was loaded into a car and then taken away.

"Veee, Ludwig..." He was alone, and even though there was no apparent danger, for some reason he was almost paralysed with terror. Here he was in a strange town alone. This was something he wasn't used to, and honestly he didn't know how to handle it. Without Ludwig there, he felt completely vulnerable to people who might want to take advantage of him. Slowly he made his way back to the hotel room, looking around like a cornered animal all the while. He'd jump or flinch at the slightest noise or movement and kept himself unusually guarded.

Back at the room, the Italian realised that he left the door open, which was pretty good since he didn't bring a key with him. He went right to the sausages and took them off the stove before doing a cautious scout of the room. It didn't seem like there was anyone there, but that really did nothing to ease his fears.

He sat on the bed in silence for a while. A little later he got up to eat the sausages. It was just too quiet without Ludwig. Without him there, who was Feli supposed to talk to? Who would take care of the trip?

No, this was unacceptable! With a sudden burst of courage, the Italian decided to make it his mission to rescue his best friend. He didn't know how he was going to do it, but he would prove his friend was innocent somehow!

* * *

A/N: That's it for now! Come back tomorrow for chapter 2! I'm thinking this will a shorter story, and it's probably going to be predictable, but oh well!


	2. Information at the DMV

A/N: Remember how I said this isn't an accurate representation of the justice system? Well, here you go!

* * *

After all that happened, Feliciano couldn't just sit around while his best friend was falsely imprisoned! So, like the ever clingy dependant that he was, he set out to prove his friend's innocence. He wasn't sure how he was going to go about doing it, but he was sure going to try! First he'd have to find where Ludwig was taken though, and he rationalised the he'd have to go visiting jails. The search didn't take long though, since he was in a small town in Canada, there was no official jail and only one court building and police station. It took him twenty minutes on the street asking around to be directed there.

Once the Italian arrived on location, it took him a while to get oriented. He spent an hour and a half waiting at the DMV, going through the motion of taking a number and then finding a seat to wait until his number was called. As soon as his number was called, he ran up and started yelling, "Help! My friend is in jail and he's innocent!" His sudden outburst had caught the attention of everyone there, but at least something interesting was happening.

The person behind the glass just looked at him, dumbfounded. Then she explained that criminal affairs was on the fourth floor. The Italian thanked her meekly and then took the elevator up, leaving the rest of the people unimpressed with how quickly that little episode ended.

On the fourth floor, the buzz of activity could be heard even if the majority of the workers were out of sight. Feli approached what appeared to be the receptionist's desk and went through the same song and dance he went through at the DMV. "You've got to help me! My friend is in jail and he's innocent! Please help me, I don't want to be left alone! I'm not from around here and it's scary and I don't want to be alone!" He continued rambling like that until she put a hand up. He stopped then, but realised that he was shaking. The courage from before had almost completely dissolved and he was starting to feel the terror creep back in.

"Calm down." She demanded. "Now, is your friend Ludwig Beilschmidt?"

The Italian's face lit up. "How did you know?"

She just rolled her eyes. "That's all anyone's been talking about since yesterday. Are you here to be a witness?"

Witness? This could be his chance to prove that Ludwig was innocent! "Yes! Yes I am!" He said with pride. He'd take the stand and tell everyone what a great person Ludwig was, and how he'd never kill anyone. Who would be able to discredit such an honest testimony?

She pressed a button but didn't say anything. Seconds later a blonde man burst through the door and stood before the Italian, sizing him up. "Ah ha! You've come to confess!" He pointed a finger dramatically.

"Ve?" Feli said, adopting a defensive stance.

"That's quite enough." Another voice rang out as an older, British man entered. The Brit turned to the Italian then, "Please excuse my idiot partner, he's new here." This man seemed a lot more elegant, but maybe that was just the English accent.

"That's cold man. I graduated top of my class."

"No you didn't, you only got this job because of your connections." He cleared his throat then, "anyway, allow me to provide proper introductions. I'm detective Arthur Kirkland, and this is my idiot partner detective Alfred Jones."

"Call me Al." The younger detective stated.

"Did you have any information for us?" Arthur asked.

That was Feli's cue to finally help Ludwig for a change. "Yes! I'm a witness!"

"Well, come this way. We can use all the information we can get." Then they both led the Italian to a soundproof room. There was a single long table with a screen at the front, Feli assumed it was a meeting room. They all took a seat and the Englishman spoke first, "so, what did you want to tell us?"

Feli, although terrified, began to speak. "Ludwig is my friend and he would never kill anyone! He couldn't have killed anyone because he was with me the whole time! We ate at the waffle house and got some coffee and went snow shoeing and he didn't kill anyone! Please I'm begging you, let him go! I can't be alone in the hotel, its dark and scary at night and what if someone breaks in?! Please! I'll do anything!" He shook as he said this, and he said it so fast that the detectives hardly caught a word of it.

"Slow down, I can't understand you." The Englishman said. "So, you say you were with him the whole time?"

"Yes."

"Ah ha! He's an accomplice! I knew it!" The American said.

"Would you please keep quiet?" Arthur barked. Then he turned his attention back to the witness. "Anyway, you're sure you were with him the whole time?"

"Yes, we're always together. We've been together since college! And on this trip we did all kinds of fun things together!" He seemed a little more relaxed now, and spoke in a slower, more controlled manner.

Arthur wrote something down on a notepad. "Could you tell me everything you did yesterday?"

"Ve, everything?"

"Yes, everything."

At that, Feli went into a long winded story about everything he did with Ludwig yesterday. He stared with waking up and going out for breakfast, explaining in excruciating detail what they ate. Then he explained all of their activities in chronological order, also in ridiculous detail up to the part where he got his hair cut. At that Alfred stopped him.

"Hey man, you say that Ludwig guy went to the gym for the whole time you were getting your hair cut?"

"Yes!" the Italian answered proudly, "he's always in good shape, even on vacation!"

The two detectives looked at each other, thinking the same thing. Arthur spoke first. "So, it's entirely possible that he was off killing the victim during this time."

Feli looked stunned. Sure it was possible that it could have happened that way, but Feli refused to believe it! "No, it's not possible! Ludwig would never do a thing like that! He's the nicest guy I know! He always protects me, and stands up for me when mean people try to take my lunch money, but he never killed anyone! Please, I'm begging you, get him out of jail! I don't want to go home without him! Please, I'll do anything! Get him out of jail, I don't want to be alone!"

Arthur cut him off before he could ramble anymore. "Calm down, we haven't had the trial yet, he's not in jail." He sighed then, obviously not used to questioning such a verbose witness. "Listen, how about we brief you on what we know so far, and then we'll let you see him?"

The Italian's face lit up like a kid in a candy store. "I get to see him?"

"I'll allow it." Arthur said, "Both of your stories match up almost perfectly, and I don't think you've had any time to corroborate." Feli tilted his head at that word, and Art continued, "However, I should tell you that he has already admitted to being at the scene around the time of the murders."

"Ve?!" His elation vanished and was replaced with terror and confusion. How could Ludwig have possibly been there? There had to have been some kind of mistake.

"Not only that, but he told us he was there while you were getting your hair cut, and the time lines match up."

"No, there's no way..."

"Calm down, let me explain what we know so far."


	3. Bullets not Fired, or Were They?

The two detectives entered a larger room with a very frazzled Feli in their midst. After all he heard, even he was starting to doubt his friend's innocence. That all changed when he saw the German in a small holding cell. All of his doubt was washed away in an instant. Just like that he felt like running, and he did, yelling out the German's name all the while. The German in question looked up, and for the briefest of moment smiled at the sight of the Italian coming to see him.

"Ludwig!" Feli said when he was close enough to speak in a normal conversational voice. "I have a lot to tell you!" It was obvious that the Italian wanted to hug his friend, but that obviously wasn't going to happen. He'd have to work on getting him out of there so he could hug him again. Before getting into the information though, he had to get a few questions answered. "Hey, is it true you were at the scene while I was getting my hair cut?" There was so much hope in his voice that it pained Ludwig to answer.

"Yes, it's true."

"Ve." Feli said, obviously disappointed. "That doesn't mean you killed them though."

"I never killed anyone." Ludwig stated, "but I don't know if I'll be able to prove it." Honestly, his stern face and harsh voice would probably make people afraid of him, and those features along with the "murderer" label certainly wouldn't win him any sympathy from the jury.

"You'll be able to prove it! I know you're innocent! But Ludwig, did you shoot anyone? Even if it was an accident?"

He'd already been asked several times if he'd fired his gun, but he knew for sure that he hadn't. There wasn't even a possibility that it went off by accident. "I didn't fire my gun." He stated bluntly. It almost felt like he was being interrogated all over again.

"The detectives said the victims were shot with your gun." Poor Feli was more distressed than Ludwig, who appeared to be unusually calm about the whole situation. "And they said they found your gun at the scene."

"Feliciano." The German said in a serious tone, "how could they have found my when it's back at the hotel?"

"Ve?"

"My gun was on me the whole time, and I never fired it. I'm sure it was holstered last night. Check the nightstand back at the hotel." He seemed genuinely concerned about that accusation.

The Italian's face lit up then, "I bet if we find it you'll be proven innocent!" He turned toward the detectives, who had been listening in. "Did you hear that? It couldn't have been his gun because it's back at the hotel!"

Alfred stepped in then, looking like he had all the answers. "Not possible little dude. We checked the registration, it's an exact match. We got, uh, documents and everything." He didn't have the documents with him, but the confidence in his face said a quick trip back to the office could produce one.

"Listen to me." The German said, "go search my room. Feli will take you there. Look in the drawer of the night stand and you'll find my gun." He knew it was there. How could it have gone missing while they were sleeping?

"By the way dude," Alfred interjected, "you're here on vacation right? How'd you get a gun past security?" Arthur looked at him then as if he couldn't believe his partner was making a good point. Both of them thought Ludwig and Feli were from Europe, but they had been citizens for a few years now.

"It wasn't that hard. I have a license, and we just drove here, from a boat. The ferry staff is more concerned with vegetable smugglers than guns." True he didn't mention his gun, but it wasn't like security was thorough in searching for one. They basically just checked his trunk and his glove compartment for plant life and then waved him through.

"Are you sure?" Alfred said, leaning in. That seemed like a highly suspicious

"It's alright Alfred, I'll check on that later. But you've made an excellent point for a change, which I find commendable."

"Thanks man." Alfred said in earnest.

"I do find it strange that you would be allowed to carry a handgun though." Arthur said to Ludwig as if expecting an explanation.

"That's a long story." He replied. "And it's not relevant to this case. If you really want to know, look it up."

Arthur didn't seem to like Ludwig getting combative all of a sudden, but he would look into it later on. "Alright then, I suppose we could move on. If what you say is true then we should be able to find your gun in the hotel. We'll conduct a search now, is that okay?"

"That's fine." The German said, fairly confident that they would find his gun. He didn't even mind that they'd only find one bed there, it was much more important for them to find the gun. If they questioned him on his love life he'd just refuse to answer.

"Well, you heard the man. Let's get searching!" The American declared, obviously ready to get going.

"Ve, can I stay here with Ludwig?" The tiny Italian said.

"I don't think it could hurt, let's just go already!" Alfred stated.

Arthur just rolled his eyes. "Fine, we'll start a search. Let's go Alfred."

"WOO! Don't worry guys, the hero's on the case!" With that he grabbed the Brit by the sleeve and enthusiastically dragged him out of there. So the two vacationers were left there alone.

There was a brief moment of silence, before the Italian turned back to Ludwig with a look on his face akin to a lost puppy. "Ve, when are you getting out?" His voice wavered as if he might cry.

Although Ludwig didn't want to worry his friend, he wasn't going to lie to him. "I don't know if I'll be getting out."

"No, don't say that! If you're innocent then you'll get out just fine!" He said as if he were demanding it to be true. At the very least he was hoping (as hard as he could) that it was true.

"Sometimes that's not how it works." Ludwig said. Obviously he wasn't all that confident in the justice system and had already given up on hope.


	4. Explanation Needed

The two detectives were just about ready to head out when one of their associates handed Arthur the autopsy report. While Alfred didn't seem to care all that much, Arthur was sure to review it.

"You about ready to go man?" The younger said impatiently. His energy was commendable but his impatience was a little annoying.

"Just shut up for a second please." Arthur said with a hand wave. "According to this, the victims suffered from internal bleeding caused by blunt force trauma." He said that reflectively, perhaps wondering why they hadn't considered that a possibility. "Perhaps we should ask our suspect about this."

"Aw, come on man! Can't we just get to the investigation already?"

"No, we need to get our facts in order." He waited for Alfred to groan, which he did, and then continued, "I think a few more questions couldn't hurt."

"Fine." The younger conceded. He was under the impression that the faster they concluded the questions, the faster they could bust into that hotel room and find more juicy details.

Even though there was no obligation for Arthur to keep his partner happy, he did feel a little sympathy. Since he was being so co-operative, he'd treat him. "Thanks, I'll take you to McDonalds after our shift for being so compliant."

"Really?" He smiled like a child, and it was so bright and broad that it became infectious. "You're awesome."

Arthur ignored that comment. So the two detectives returned to see the Europeans idly chattering and looking glum. Arthur approached first, addressing the accused. "We've just obtained the results of the autopsy report. Apparently it wasn't bullets that killed the victims."

Ludwig appeared to relax a little as the Italian's face lit up. "So does that mean-"

"No, you're totally not off the hook." The American stated impatiently. "Maybe you shot them as a cover up."

For some reason that comment offended the accused. "How does that make any sense? Why would I cover up a clean getaway by shooting them with my own gun?!" The indignation in his voice was obvious, mainly because he felt like his intelligence was being insulted.

"I must admit that it seems unlikely that he'd intentional leave evidence behind." The older detective thought aloud. "We still haven't found the murder weapon either, so this could have been a ploy to frame him."

"Yes! That must be it!" Feli said jovially. "I knew he was innocent."

The detectives sighed. "He hasn't been found innocent yet." Arthur said. "But this new information does raise a lot of questions."

"Dude, let's just get to that room and search already! We're not answering any questions here!"

"For once I agree with you. We should get going." He turned to the Italian then. "Perhaps it would be best if you came with us after all."

"Ve?"

"Well, you know the way right? And it'll be easier to get into the room if you let us in willingly."

"Yeah dude, like, it'll speed things up and then your friend'll get out faster."

Feli did want to help out any way he could, so he agreed in an instant. They all bid farewell to Ludwig and made their way back to the hotel.

-Back at the Room-

Feli swiped the card key and they all entered. Alfred took noticed right away to the one unmade bed, but he didn't say anything. He just made a mental note. Arthur didn't seem to care at all and went right for the night stand. There it was in plain sight, a holstered gun.

"Alfred, come look at this." the older detective said, gesturing for him to come with his hand.

He came over, looking in. "That's a gun alright, unless it's like, a toy gun or something."

With gloved hands, Arthur retrieved the gun and stored it. "I guess he was telling the truth. We'll have find out where this gun came from though."

"Yeah, but like, what if he lost his gun and picked this one up by mistake?"

Arthur just rolled his eyes. "I have a feeling that's not how it happened."

"Do YOU have a better explanation?"

"Not yet, we'll see what the tests show." He's have to see things like who the gun was registered to, if it was registered at all, and if there were anyone else's fingerprints on it. Any information on it would be a substantial help.

Alfred just rolled his eyes and started combing over the room. Arthur did the same. There really wasn't anything else of interest there, but they made sure to search nonetheless.

All the while, Feli wasn't sitting idle. He was making his own box of evidence, picking up things with his bare hands carelessly. Some of the things included a pen, the foam lobster hat, a single glove, some change that was in Ludwig's pocket, and the wrapper from the sausages this morning. He appeared to be pleased with this investigation, and approached the two detectives. "Ve, look at this." He said proudly. "I think this will help prove that Ludwig is innocent."

Arthur looked over the box. Nothing seemed particularly important, but he'd take the box with him just because. If nothing else, it would probably make Feli happy if they took his evidence box. "Uh, thanks."

Alfred came up then, looking over the contents. "Wow, look at all that! I wonder why I didn't think of taking this stuff." He seemed especially impressed with the lobster hat. Secretly he'd always wanted one, but because they were so ridiculously overpriced he could never justify spending so much on one.

Arthur couldn't tell if his partner was being genuine or not, but he wasn't going to press the issue. "I think we've collected enough evidence for now. Do we have your permission to search this room in the future?"

"Yes, of course! You can do anything if it'll save Ludwig."

"Alright, we'll probably see you later."

"Wait!" The Italian said, looking terrified again. "Will I be able to see Ludwig again?"

"Yes, don't worry, you'll be able to see him tomorrow, and every day."

That made him happy, and it was obvious. "Ve, I'll be there!"

The two detectives just gave a nod, then left. The Italian was left in the room alone, and he started to feel lonely and a little scared again.

The detectives made their way outside, but there was still something on the American's mind. "Hey man, let's drop off this stuff and go for McD's!" Alfred said as they headed down the hall.


	5. Prints

Upon coming into work the next day, Arthur was greeted with a report on the gun as well as some of the objects in the box Feli threw together. The Brit couldn't help but groan since he didn't actually expect them to waste their time and resources examining that junk, next time he wouldn't leave his evidence with Alfred to drop off. What surprised him though, is that he received a fair amount of information from the box, specifically the glove. The rest of the things in that box, not surprisingly, were all unusable.

What they managed to discover from the glove was flakes of skin. The DNA didn't match Ludwig or Feli, but as of now they couldn't say for sure who the skin belonged to. Although Arthur didn't think this would lead to anything, he wouldn't stop them from pursuing this further. He figured it probably belonged to one of their friends or family members back home, but it probably couldn't hurt to get them checked.

Most importantly though, the gun had been identified. Apparently the gun was registered to Toris Lorinaitis. This certainly was news to Arthur.

"It's registered to one of the victims?"

"Yes," one of the staffers explained, "apparently it was licensed about a month ago, but it doesn't have any of Lorinaitis's prints on it."

"I suppose it's pointless to ask, but are the defendant's prints on that gun?"

"Yes."

"I thought so." It would make sense that his own prints would be on the gun. It would probably be more suspicious if his prints were somehow absent, but that didn't change the fact that the suspect was in possession of the victim's gun. That needed explaining. "Anyway, thank you for your time. I may return later, but contact me if you find out something else."

"No problem."

With that, Arthur set out to find his partner, probably sleeping on the job again, to tell him about what he learned. Just as he suspected, Alfred was asleep with at his desk with a half eaten donut nearby and sprinkles around his mouth. The Brit sighed. "Wake up you bloody yank! How are you not fired yet?!"

Alfred stirred, then woke. He regarded his partner with half-lidded, sleepy eyes, but appeared alert nonetheless. "What's up?"

"We've just got some interesting news. Apparently the gun we found in the hotel room belongs to one of the victims."

"No way!" the American said with enthusiasm, though said enthusiasm faded pretty quickly. "So uh, what does that mean?"

"I don't know yet. It might suggest that our suspect knew the victim. It doesn't explain how the suspect's gun ended up at the scene though."

Alfred thought for a second. "I've got it! Maybe they were doing a drug deal or something, when even bigger drug lords show up and ask everyone to drop their weapons, but then it's okay and they all pick their guns up and they took the wrong one by accident." His voice was so confident, it was almost like he felt like the case was cracked. Arthur wasn't impressed.

"That doesn't explain why the victim's prints weren't on the gun."

"Sure it does, what if he was wearing gloves at the time?"

That statement did give Arthur pause, but he still wasn't convinced. "I still find your scenario unrealistic, but you may be on to something." Then again, there was the glove. Perhaps they could check to see if the DNA on the glove matched any of the victims. "You know what? You just gave me an idea. We'll see if the glove we found has any of the victims' DNA on it."

"Yeah, that's a great idea! I think." Arthur just rolled his eyes. "Anyway, we should probably review the crime scene. There might have been some things missed the first time."

That seemed to perk up the American. "Now you're talking! Let's go."

-At the Scene-

"The victims were murdered in the middle school that recently closed. The bodies were found in the gym." Arthur explained as they entered. It was still unclear if his partner was listening or not.

"Yeah yeah, I did actually review the information." He said lamely. Once they arrived in the gym Alfred appeared to be both excited and terrified, probably because of his irrational fear of ghosts. "Okay, so here's where the bodies were found, and the gun was here." He mumbled to himself. "Blood was found here and here, and on the stage."

Arthur had to commend his partner, here he thought he was just lazy. Apparently he did take his work seriously.

"Hey Artie, did they identify who's blood was where?"

"Yeah, but they only identified the blood as belonging to the victims. Ludwig's blood wasn't found here."

"Hmm." The American thought for a second. "Did they find any hair, nails, things like that?"

"Not to my knowledge. Why don't you look for some?"

That was all the incentive he needed to start scouting the floor for hairs and the like. Arthur investigated the stage all the while. This continued for a while, until Alfred stood triumphantly with a victorious "ah ha!" He held up a pair of tweezers with something Arthur couldn't see. "Look! I found a hair!"

"It's not one of your hairs is it?" The Brit asked.

"No way dude. I put on a hair net." He actually did, since he didn't want to contaminate the scene with his own DNA. Arthur continued to be pleasantly surprised. "Besides, it's way too grey to be one of mine."

The Brit jumped down from the stage and approached. It wouldn't hurt to take a look at what his partner found. It did indeed appear to be a hair, then again, what else could it have been? "Well, put it in storage for now. We'll have it tested when we get back."

"Haha!" He said proudly. "Nothing escapes the hero!"

"I suppose not, just make sure you keep that keen eye searching."

Alfred couldn't believe it, Arthur was actually praising him. That alone was a good enough incentive to try even harder to find something substantial. The search lasted a little longer, but really there wasn't much found. Alfred was particularly proud of himself for earning some kind of approval from his partner. It probably wasn't easy to impress someone with as much experience as Arthur.

They'd get the hair tested later though, as it did appear to be the most important thing found from their investigation.


	6. Pizza Power

It had been three days since Ludwig have been detained, but that didn't stop Feli from visiting him whenever he could. Right now he was in the German's presence, pressing his hand against the glass and looking terribly fatigued. It was pretty obvious that he wasn't sleeping properly, and how could he without his big, strong friend there to protect him? What if someone broke in? What if there were snipers? Sure, the chances of a break in or snipers were extremely slim, but that didn't stop the little Italian from worrying. This in turn made the German worry about him.

"Listen Feli, you need to stop worrying and get some sleep."

"Ve, but it's dark and scary at night." He said in an unusually whiny voice. "Sometimes I worry that I didn't lock the door, but then I remember that it does that automatically. But then I worry that I might have left the key outside where the bad guys can find it."

It was painful to see the Italian like this. Ludwig was so used to seeing his friend sleeping or slacking off of work or making and/or eating pasta. At this rate Feli would end up in the hospital for exhaustion or starvation or something, and that was the last thing Ludwig wanted. "How about you take my credit card and go to that fancy pasta place? What was it called? Sorrento's? You said you wanted to go there when we first arrived."

Normally he would have jumped at the chance to try some fancy, overpriced pasta, but he was clearly not feeling himself. Without Ludwig there, he really didn't have any interest. "It won't be fun if I go alone."

They continued to chat in this manner, with Ludwig insisting that Feli needed sleep and a good meal. Feli refused to listen and continued whining about being lonely and scared. Seeing it made Ludwig furious at his own powerlessness.

Just then the two detectives appeared. Alfred especially looked jovial. "Guys, I think we're making some real progress. Yesterday we found a hair at the crime scene, and today we learned that the hair has the same DNA as the skin on the glove."

This was good news, perhaps. Ludwig didn't know about the glove as of now, but apparently it something important. Feli leapt up. "So the hair belongs to the real guy who did it right?"

"Probably. We just don't know who that is yet."

"Now now, don't be so pre-emptive. Just because we found a hair and some skin on a glove doesn't mean whoever the DNA matches is the culprit."

Feli's good mood was shattered in that instant, making Ludwig unusually angry. Sure he knew he probably wasn't going to walk free, but couldn't they just lie for now so that Feli could get his health back in order? His irritation was obvious, but the detectives misinterpreted said irritation as disappointment in their investigation. Neither said anything though, they knew it must be frustrating to be falsely accused.

"Anyway, do you think you can answer some questions for us again?" Arthur asked.

"I will." Ludwig responded, "but I've already told you everything I know." So he thought.

"When you were at the scene, did you notice anyone else there?"

Ludwig paused for a moment. This was new, and surprisingly not a question about whether or not he had fired his gun. "After I left the building, there was someone there."

"Ooooh?" Alfred said, obviously interested.

"Tell us more." Arthur prompted.

"I spoke with him briefly, he was a large Russian man. He was wearing a long coat and a pink scarf."

"What colour was his hair?!" The American interjected.

"I believe it was grey."

Alfred's face lit up, but Arthur's demeanor didn't change. The Brit prompted him on, "what did you speak with him about?"

"He asked me if I had seen his son in the school. According to him, his child was a delinquent and was up to no good."

"Oh yeah! You went in there after a group of delinquents!" Alfred said as if this was the first time he'd heard of that, probably because it was the first time he'd heard of it. "Wait, why did you do that?"

"I thought I saw them dragging someone inside, but apparently it was just their friend. When I went into the school he was standing again, and he didn't look like he was being kept there against his will."

"Woah woah woah, slow down dude! When they were dragging that guy into the school, you say he wasn't standing?"

"No, he wasn't." Ludwig explained. "He was being carried in, with his legs dragging behind. I think his head was down too."

Arthur was busy writing this down, and Alfred seemed to get more excited by the second. "I get it, maybe he was drunk and they were sobering him up!"

Arthur obviously wasn't impressed with that analysis. Though, it was possible, so he wouldn't say anything about it either way. "But you say he was standing when you went in to check?"

"Yes." Ludwig said with a sigh. This was going to be a long day, probably, with him answering the same questions over and over. "When I saw the three of them, the one they were carrying was standing, and appeared to be fine. They didn't appear to be hurting him, so I just left."

"So you entered to make sure the one they were carrying was all right?" Alfred asked, though he was already starting to get bored of this.

"Yes." The confidence in his voice was unshakable. It was hard not to believe him, though a jury might not be as forgiving. The victims were all smaller and weaker looking than him after all.

"Ve, that sounds like Ludwig." Feli said with a smile. "I told you he wouldn't kill anyone! He was being the hero and trying to save that guy!"

"Hey, there's only one hero here, and that's me!" Alfred interjected. "And as the hero, I swear to protect the innocent!" He turned his attention to Feli then. "Italian guy!"

"Ve?"

"Do you swear that your guy is innocent?!"

"Yes! He's the most innocent guy in the world!"

Alfred approached and put both of his hands on Feli's shoulders, looking him in the eye intensely. "Then you have nothing to fear! The hero always makes the bad guys pay!" Before the Italian could react, Al let him go and grabbed Arthur by the collar and started dragging him.

"What is the meaning of this?!" The Brit squawked in surprise.

"We're going to find more evidence and save the day!"

The two Europeans were left alone, but that wasn't particularly a bad thing. "Feli." Ludwig said finally, as if nothing happened, "would you pick me up a pizza?"

That seemed to make him happy, "will they let you eat it?"

There was no way for Ludwig to know for sure, but really this was just a ploy to get Feli eating again. So secretly he hoped they wouldn't let him. That might get the Italian eating. "I'm pretty sure they will."

"Then I will get you the best pizza you've ever had, with those weird sausages you like!"

"Thank you."

With that, the Italian left, leaving Ludwig alone again.


	7. Sink Pipe

Alfred's enthusiasm didn't yield any results this time, but it did tire Arthur out. So it was like a mini victory for the American. Just because they didn't find anything in their last investigation didn't mean new things weren't being learned though. While they were out messing around the crime scene, a possible new suspect had been identified. Even a tired out Arthur could appreciate the findings.

"Apparently the skin and the hair belong to one Ivan Braginsky. We're lucky that he just happened to be in our system." One of the staffers explained.

"So he's been in trouble with the law before." Arthur mused aloud.

"Yes, drunk driving. He was taken in for vehicular manslaughter, but that was ten years ago."

"I assume his sentence is long up then?"

"Yes, he got two years."

Well, that was good. At least there was another suspect now. "Did he get brought in for questioning?"

"Not yet, perhaps we should start an investigation."

That sounded good. No doubt Alfred would be excited too. "Alright then, thanks for that. Do we have a picture of him on file?" He'd go find (read: "wake up") his partner and find out more about this Ivan guy.

"Oh yeah." The staffer said. Moments later he was able to produce a photo and handed it to the detective. He gave his thanks and took his leave.

Surprisingly, Alfred wasn't sleeping. Sure he was just sort of sitting around doodling, but it was a step up from sleeping. Arthur approached him with an unreadable expression. "Alfred, we need to gather some information on one Ivan Braginsky."

That caught his attention. "Alright! Where do we start?"

"Aren't you going to ask why we're going to investigate this particular individual?"

"Uh." He knew the answer should be yes, but he'd probably have to attack an explanation to it, so he just went with what felt natural, "naw, I just figured it would be fun to investigate some more."

The Brit sighed. "I think we should have our suspect take a look at the photo first to make sure it's the guy he saw."

"Yeah well, go do that and then come get me."

Arthur rolled his eyes and made his way to the suspect. He didn't need his partner to be present when he asked questions this time.

The Italian wasn't with Ludwig yet. Still, the German seemed to be in a better mood today. "I'd like to talk to you for a second." Arthur said.

"That's fine."

"Take a look at this, is this the man you saw when you exited the school?"

Ludwig looked at it, but it didn't take him long. "I'm pretty sure that's him."

"Thank you, that's all I need." With that he went back to meet with his partner. No surprise that he was on edge and eager to go.

The drive to meet with Ivan didn't take long. This small town was so close knit that meeting with anyone could be done quickly. Good news considering Alfred was yammering the whole time about some nonsense. At one point he tried to convince Arthur to watch 'the game' with him, but that wasn't going to happen. They both took a second to look at the house. For some reason neither of them wanted to go in.

"Are you getting some major bad vibes from this place?"

"I suppose that's one way to put it."

Alfred was apparently having second thoughts, so the Brit was the first to exit the car. Not wanting to be outdone, the American followed. Both stood for a second before the older of the two decided to knock. Alfred stood behind him gripping his shoulders.

The silence was thick and heavy as the detectives waited. The door began to open and Alfred nearly jumped through the roof. They were greeted by the coldest warm smile they'd ever seen. "Hello." Ivan said, innocently enough.

"Uh, we're with law enforcement. Is it okay if we ask you a few questions?" Arthur's voice was incredibly shaky and lacked the conviction it usually held.

"Certainly. Officers are always welcome." For some reason that statement sounded unusually threatening. "Come in, I make you tea."

They reluctantly entered. Perhaps they could search the house for a potential murder weapon while they were here.

They didn't have to look far though, because on counter in plain view was an old sink pipe with the unmistakable colour of dried blood. Or maybe it was rust? No, definitely blood and a little rust. Oddly enough, the Russian didn't even seem distressed by its presence. Did he have that out so casually all the time? Did he care that police were in his house at all?

"While I am making tea," Ivan said suddenly with the same glowing smile, "have seat at table."

The two sat down. Alfred spoke first. "So uh, what's with the sink pipe?" Arthur wanted to smack him for being so blunt.

"Oh, I am hunter. Cut fresh meat in bath tub so blood doesn't get on floor." His answer was so casual and given without hesitation that Alfred was willing to believe it, but not Arthur. For some reason he lead with the bravest question he'd ever asked.

"Would you mind terribly if we brought that in for analysis?"

The atmosphere in the house changed instantly. It was already a tense situation, but now there was a noticeable air of danger present. Nevertheless, the Russian's expression never faltered. He asked simply in response, "pardon?"

Arthur didn't know if he was shaking or not, but he repeated, "Could we perhaps take that with us for analysis?" His voice was smaller now, and meeker. It certainly didn't hold any command.

For a brief moment the Russian remained silent. Under his breath he mumbled a barely audible "kol kol." Both detectives were too on edge to ask for a repeat, but soon the Russian spoke. "If you are taking pipe, then I can't clean meat."

"We'll bring it back as soon as we're done." Alfred said, though he wasn't as tense as Arthur.

"Kol kol..."

"What was that?" The American said without thinking.

"It's no problem. But please remember to be bringing it back."

Just then the kettle clicked. Ivan continued smiling. "Oh, tea is done." He moved carelessly over to the kettle while Alfred collected the pipe. Then he placed two mugs on the table for the detectives.

Arthur couldn't help but feel cold, and looked down at his tea. His subconscious was telling him to not drink that tea, and so he wouldn't. Not even a sip. If only there was some way to let Alfred know not to drink it either.

"So what did you want to ask?" Ivan asked, sitting at the table and staring directly into the Brit's eyes.

"Uh, have you been anywhere near the junior high lately?" It was an incredibly weak question. Really Arthur wanted to get this over with as quickly as he could.

"Oh yes. I was looking for friend there."

"Did you find your friend?"

"Yes."

There was silence. Arthur rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "Uh, what did you do once you found him?"

"I am saying hi, and he is saying it's nice to see me. Then we are going separate ways."

Good enough. Alfred was already half way through his tea, though he didn't appear to be enjoying it. Arthur figured they could gather more information later, when they analyzed the pipe. Perhaps then he'd get arrested and they could question him in a more neutral location. Here it seemed like he had the advantage.

"Alright, thank you for your time." Arthur said. "I guess that's all we need from you for now."

"Leaving already?"

"Yeah, uh, we'll come back if we have any more questions."

"Okay. Officers are always welcome." That line again. Neither wanted to stick around any longer, so they gave the Russian a polite nod and made their way to the door.

After that extremely tense meeting, the detectives got in the car after thoroughly checking the backseat and trunk for anyone that might be hiding there. After they were sufficiently certain that no one had invaded, they got in and tore out of that driveway as fast as the car would allow.

When they were a sufficient distance from Ivan's place, Alfred broke the uncomfortable silence. "I think he did it."

"W-we don't know that for sure." Arthur said, even if he's say any reason was a good one to lock the Russian away.

"That dude's scary man. I could totally see him whacking those guys to death." He paused to shudder, then continued, "and he'd probably do it with a smile."

They both felt cold, but at least they'd be able to call him into court. Maybe, if the blood on the pipe matched the victims. Then again, if the bludgeoning didn't spill any blood then this could have been a waste of time.

It might be best to alert Feli and Ludwig too, just to raise their spirits a little.


	8. Ace Attorney Appears

A/N: Hey all, I'm sick and off work, so I think I'll finish this today. Can't really do anything else. I hope you've all enjoyed this little experiment of mine. I'm thinking there'll be 10 chapters, and I'll post them as soon as I'm done typing them.

* * *

It started to feel like they were on a treadmill, not getting anywhere. Feli was visiting Ludwig again, but just as they were about to delve into their usual spiel, A third party entered. Both Europeans regarded the newcomer, surprised at who they saw.

"Kiku?"

The Japanese man bowed his head as a greeting. "It's been a while. Didn't think we'd meet again like this."

Feli leapt up and approached, obviously happy to see a familiar face. "Have you come to be a witness too?"

"Not exactly." He replied. "I've been assigned as your lawyer."

That caught Ludwig's attention. This was spectacular news. "This is wonderful Kiku!" He was almost too excited about this to ask when and how he became a lawyer, but he still had to be polite. "So you went to law school after your general studies?" Obviously, but it wouldn't hurt to catch up a little.

"That is correct." Kiku said. "Once I completed my general studies, I got accepted into the top law school in the province. I've been a lawyer for nearly two years."

Excellent news as far as Ludwig was concerned. He knew Kiku from his university years, and he was always the top of the class. No doubt that he was at the top of his game here too, which was great news for his case.

"Ve, can I help you Kiku?" The Italian said, hoping his role as a 'witness' could be of use.

"You may." Kiku said, then turned back to Ludwig, "let me tell you what we know so far. I have been informed that a new suspect has arisen." He retrieved a photo from his file. "Ivan Braginsky, apparently they found a blunt instrument in his house with blood on it that matches the victims."

Feli smiled broadly, but Ludwig kept his expression neutral. He wasn't out of the woods yet. "How will you explain the bullets?" He asked.

"I believe that he had somehow taken your gun without you knowing." Ludwig gave him a skeptical look, that seemed unlikely. Still, he'd hear his studious friend out. "The fact that you're somehow in possession of a gun licenced to one of the victims is suspect, but I think since it is the same model, they somehow became switched."

"That sounds like a stretch." The German said.

"Yes, I know it sounds impossible. I just need to know if there as a time before, during or after the murders when you could have lost your gun."

"No, I'm fairly sure I never misplaced my gun."

"The time frame could be any time since the vacation started, up until you entered the hotel room last night."

Ludwig thought for a second. "There was one time when my gun was taken out of the holster since the trip began." He said. "When I was coming out of the school, and when I ran into that Russian, he slipped on the ice and knocked me down." At least, that's the excuse Ivan gave him at the time. It seemed far too well timed to be an accident, but he certainly wasn't brave enough to call shenanigans on the Russian nearly twice his size. "When I fell, my gun was knocked out of the holster, but it didn't fire. I picked it back up and left." There didn't appear to be enough time for Ivan to switch the guns. Maybe Kiku had an explanation?

"Feli." Kiku said, addressing the Italian who was struggling to follow along. "When you found that glove, where was it?"

"Eh, It was on Ludwig's coat." So he thought, it was such an inconsequential detail that he hardly remembered.

"Stuck on the velcro?"

"Ve, I think so."

"And was there two of them or just the one?"

Feli thought hard. He didn't really handle interrogation well, but he was a little more at ease since it was his friend asking. "I couldn't find the other one. But isn't the glove Ludwig's?"

"I don't think so." Kiku said. "I think the glove was never supposed to be on you. It probably got stuck on the velcro when he knocked him down." It would make sense, if the glove had been in Ivan's pocket. At least, that's what Kiku thought.

"Okay." The German said, still not convinced. "But how did he have the victim's gun in the first place?"

"I found some connections." Kiku said, as if this was the definitive piece of evidence that would turn the whole case around. "Apparently the three victims worked for him doing odd jobs. Some more illegal than others."

"Oh." Ludwig said.

"From what I could gather, a recent deal went south because of something the victims did. I haven't got all of the details yet, but I hear it resulted in a big loss."

"And you think he killed them to get revenge?"

"Either that or he's setting an example."

The thought of that made Feli shudder. He definitely wasn't going to sleep tonight since he'd be up worrying about revenge plots. Ludwig picked up on it, but right now it couldn't be helped.

"I have a few more witnesses lined up. Feli, your job will be to testify for Ludwig's character." Although he gave this instruction, they probably wouldn't need him to testify. He didn't actually see anything, so he probably wouldn't be of much use. Still, he knew the Italian was eager to help, so he wouldn't shoot down that enthusiasm.

"Ve, I'll tell everyone how nice he is." Ludwig smiled for some reason. His friend's genuine loyalty and childlike innocence could only make him happy.

"That's all the information we have for now. Anyway, I'll see you both in court." Kiku said, bowing to them once again. He took his leave then, leaving Ludwig and Feli alone, but hopeful.


	9. How it Happened

While he waited for his friend to get his hair cut, Ludwig decided to do a little sightseeing on his way to the gym. Sure there wasn't much to see in such a small town, but he had two whole hours to kill. His first stop was the local shopping centre, but there really wasn't much to see there. They barely had anything other than the bare essentials to sell, so there was really nothing of interest there. Next he went to some of the parks, but they were all underwhelming. A few of them had some walking trails, but Ludwig didn't really feel like travelling on icy paths near water. That was a death trap to say the least. Quickly he became bored with sightseeing and began making his way to the gym.

On his way there though, he passed by what appeared to be an abandoned middle school. Normally he wouldn't have paid any attention to it, but the slight of a small gathering of people caught his eye. There were three teenagers (presumably), but one of them appeared to be unconscious. That was enough to rouse his suspicions, so he followed them inside the school to make sure the unconscious boy was alright. All the while he made sure to stay out of sight. His sense of duty wouldn't allow him to ignore a potential injustice.

Quietly and slowly he crept inside. The vacant hallways caused an echo, so Ludwig proceeded with utmost caution. He could hear the faint murmur of multiple voices already, but couldn't pick out any of the words being said. So he kept creeping until he was close enough to hear. He kept himself hidden around the corner, even though it was too dark to see anyone. Even the windows at the back of the gymnasium didn't provide enough light to see anyone's faces, which was concluded from the brief glance he managed to steal.

He hung around for a while, justified in his own mind. All he managed to hear was that they were worried about something. The person he previously inferred to be unconscious was standing now, he though. Yes, even though it was dark, he could see that all three of them were standing on their feet. Ludwig assumed they were just 'hanging out' in a general sense, so perhaps he didn't have to intervene. Well, at the very least some time was killed.

With no apparent delinquency to monitor, Ludwig took his leave. Of course he made sure to be stealthy on his way out. Once he was outside, he fully intended to make it to the gym. There was a person approaching, but initially he didn't pay any attention to that. He did stop when he heard a voice calling him, "wait please."

Ludwig turned to face the person. He was a rather large man who was dressed in an absurd amount of winter wear. They may have been in Canada during the early spring, but it certainly wasn't cold enough to warrant such heavy wear. The oddly dressed man continued, "are you cop?" His thing Russian accent came out in every word, and he smiled all the while with an almost boyish delight.

"Nein." Ludwig replied, though he wasn't really sure why he was asked that.

"Oh." He seemed to smile even more broadly for some reason. "I just see you exiting building. Is where my son goes, da? As parent I am concerned about well-being." Ludwig raised an eyebrow. The Russian's statements were false, he wasn't related to anyone in that building, but it was a fairly believable cover-up. There really wasn't anything unusual about that statement, but for some reason it rubbed him the wrong way. The man continued, "Have you seen young boy and friends in there?"

"I didn't see anyone in there." He said, as a sort of half-truth. Sure he seen the teens walk in there, but he didn't actually see them when they were in there. "It's too dark inside." He paused, "I did hear a group in there though." Though he didn't hear the specifics of what they were talking about. By now Ludwig was becoming more and more tense. This person was seriously unnerving him for no logical reason.

"Oh, then I will be checking inside." He said, then his smile faltered for the briefest of moments. "If boy is in there, I will be giving the spanking."

"… Okay then." Ludwig said. He was about to walk away when he was suddenly knocked to the ground, with the strange man falling on top of him. His gun was knocked out of its holster somehow and slid out of reach. Ludwig was about to fight back when the large man stood. He then offered a hand to the German.

"Oh, so sorry." He said with a smile, "I am slipping on ice. Am I hurting you?"

Ludwig stood, but didn't take the offered help. "I'm fine." He said. At that, he backed up, never taking his eyes off the man. Once he was within range of the gun, he very swiftly slipped it back into his holster and slowly began walking away. He'd glance back to make sure he wasn't being followed. As soon as the strange man entered the school, Ludwig made a run for the gym. What he didn't notice was a lone glove, stuck on the Velcro of his pocket. It had been stuffed into the strange man's breast pocket with its partner. Apparently this glove had traitorous and was now selling out its owner.

Ludwig hadn't noticed that his gun had been swiped in the little scuffle they had. Unluckily for him, the Russian just happened to have the exact model that Ludwig had. In a spur of the moment decision, the Russian decided to frame the German for the murders he was about to commit. It was kind of a half assed plan, but it worked better than he could have expected. All Ivan did was take out his own gun and slide it along the ground, while swiping Ludwig's gun and hiding it in his coat. He was wearing gloves so there was no chance of getting his own fingerprints on Ludwig's gun. The German unknowingly took the gun that the Russian laid out for him, never suspecting that this wasn't his.

Although it wasn't the most ideal of circumstances, Ludwig was lucky the Russian's plan went well. If something went awry, the Russian would have no problem murdering Ludwig and tossing his body near the others.


	10. Court Date (The End)

A/N: I'm back from the hospital, and I'm feeling better now. Sorry this took so long, but it's all done now! Remember how I said this follows the Phoenix Wright model of courtroom drama? Well, here it is. Hopefully enjoy!

* * *

The court date was set, and because the town was small and there wasn't a lot going on, the case ended up getting attended quickly. The judge made a request to deal with this case as quickly as possible, because it was of greater importance and totally not because he was tired of all the mundane cases he usually oversaw.

Ludwig and Feli appeared with the detectives and Kiku, ready to win the case. Feli was a little distraught that he couldn't hug Ludwig yet, but he stayed close to the detectives. Kiku took his place and so did the prosecutor, one Wang Yao. This seemed to be the standard court room match up. The bailiff's voice rang out then, "all rise! The honourable judge Matthew Williams presiding." They all stood as the timid Canadian entered. Once he took the stand, the majority of the people present sat back down.

"Alright, so-" Matt began, "let's get started on the trial of Ludwig Beilschmidt."

"The defense is ready your honour." Kiku said respectfully.

"The prosecution is ready."

"Alright prosecution, your opening statements?"

Yao cleared his throat. "After looking at the evidence, it is clear that the defendant is guilty on the grounds that the victims were shot with his gun, and he willingly admits to being near the scene around the time of death."

"I see. Defense, your statements?"

"After reviewing all of the facts, I can say that the defendant couldn't have killed the victims because his gun had been taken, and I believe the true murder weapon points to someone else as our suspect."

"Very good. Um, let's begin then." The timid Canadian cleared his throat then. "Can we call the first witness?"

"Right."

First up was Arthur, who made sure Alfred would keep quiet during the cross examination. It went surprisingly well. Kiku held his own spectacularly, and managed to control the trail as he saw fit. Soon suspicion was cast on Ivan, and he too was called to the stand.

"Name and occupation please." Mattie said.

"Ivan Braginsky. I am hunter sometimes." He said with a smile.

"Uh, okay, do you have any relationship with the victims?"

"We were friends. It is breaking my heart that they die." Although he sounded genuine, it was hard to believe him.

"Alright, do you want to give your testimony about what you were doing on the day of the murder?" Ivan gave the judge a look, which scared him. "I mean, um, if it's not too much trouble or anything..."

"Oh, it is no problem. Let me see." He thought for a second and then continued. "I was running into German that day. I ask him if friends are in school, and he is saying he saw them. After that I speak with friends and then I leave. German must have gone back and shot them."

"Defense, your comments?"

"His statements can only be false, because the victims were not killed with bullets."

"Mmm?" Ivan said, almost daring Kiku to challenge him.

"Furthermore, a blunt instrument with the victim's blood was found in his house."

The gallery buzzed with "Oooh." and "Whaaat?" and "He totally did it." They were easy to sway like that.

Mattie banged his gavel, but not with enough power to make an audible noise. "Um, quiet down people. Quiet please." It took a while for the court room to quiet down, mainly because the judge's voice held no command. Once it did quiet down though, Ivan was prompted to explain himself.

"I use bathtub for cleaning animals. Friends probably cut themselves accidently and blood get on pipe." Not a very convincing argument, but he was completely unprepared for this.

"The thing is though, there was no other blood found on the pipe other than the victims. That includes animal blood."

"Maybe I am careful when cutting animals so there is not mess to clean."

"A likely story, but I'd like to draw everyone's attention to how the blood is placed on the pipe." Kiku retrieved some documents. "The blood was found to have been dispersed in such a pattern that someone couldn't have cut themselves and let the blood drop on the pipe. It seemed to have been dragged through the blood."

That seemed to catch Ivan's attention. "How you know this?"

Kiku stared him down for a second. "Judge?" He said, then handed over his 'evidence.'

Mattie reviewed the blood spatter analysis, "it would appear that their blood could not have been dripped onto the pipe, and that it is very likely the pipe was dragged through blood belonging to the victims. Mr. Braginsky, you're statements?"

His eye twitched. "Kol kol..."

"What was that Mr. Braginsky?"

"Oh, is nothing." He cleared his throat. "I am thinking German use pipe to frame me."

"Perhaps we should call him into question then." Matt said. "Prosecution?"

"The prosecution would like to call the defendant, Ludwig Beilschmidt to the stand."

Ludwig then took the stand, looking nervous. Feli never seen his friend look like that before, so he too became nervous. "Name and occupation please."

"Ludwig Beilschmidt. I'm a hired personal bodyguard."

"Oooh, that explains the gun." Alfred said to himself, causing Arthur to roll his eyes.

"Very good. Your testimony please."

The German cleared his throat. "On the day of the murders, I was indeed at the scene." Everyone in the gallery gasped, ready to accuse him at the slightest hint of guilt. "My friend was getting his hair cut, so I was on my own during this time. I was going to go to the gym, but I decided to do some sightseeing instead. When I came by the school, I saw two boys carrying another boy inside. I had thought the boy they were carrying was injured, so I followed them in. When I found them they were in the gym, but the boy was standing. I thought he was fine, so I left."

"Did you engage the boys at all?" Kiku asked.

"No, I don't think they knew I was there."

"Did you happen to drop your gun while you were there?"

"No, I didn't take it out and I didn't drop it while I was in the school."

"Was there a time when I dropped it. After I left the school, I ran into Mr. Braginsky. He claimed that he slipped, but he ended up knocking me down, and my gun came out then."

The gallery was abuzz with speculation. Matthew tried to silence them but that didn't exactly go over well. The noise eventually died down and the proceedings could continue. "So um, thank you for your testimony. I think we can move along now." Ludwig was then dismissed for now. Alfred was up next. He took the stand against Arthur's better judgement.

"Yo Mattie, how've you been?"

"Um, now's not the time for that." He said in little more than a whisper. "So um, your testimony if you will."

"Okay! So Artie and me were searching the school, and I found a hair there. And the hair totally matched that Ivan guy, that's why we went to his house. And then when we were there, the dude had some seriously scary vibes. And we found the pipe and it was just out there in the open. Like, it was totally definitive."

"I see." Mattie said. "Is there anything else you have to say?"

"Psst." Arthur said, "talk about the guns."

"Oh yeah! So we found a gun at the scene, and it belongs to the defendant. But like, in the hotel room, we found another gun, and it belonged to one of the victims. So like, I doubt he'd take a gun that would tie him to the crime. And since the victims were bludgeoned to death, it wouldn't make sense for him to shoot the gun in the first place."

"So the victims were shot with the defendant's gun?" Mattie asked.

"Yeah, but we think they were shot after they were already dead. I dunno how they figured it out, but them's the facts."

"I would like to make another statement." Kiku said. "I have some evidence here that ties Mr. Braginsky to the murders."

"Oh?"

"According to my sources, the three victims in question actually worked for Mr. Braginsky for a short time. Apparently, something went wrong between them, and so here we are."

That seemed to strike a nerve, and Ivan's anger was apparent. How Kiku was able to find this out, he didn't know, but it was accurate.

"Mr. Braginsky, is this true?"

"Yes, I admit to it. Stupid people cross me and I am giving them what they deserve."

The gallery went wild. There was no more doubt.

"Well, I guess I'll take that as a confession. Mr. Braginsky, do you have anything else to say?"

"No, you'll all be sorry when I pound your stupid faces into dust."

"Uh." The judge seemed to be unnerved, as did everyone else, but the evidence seemed strong enough to cast suspicion on Ivan. If nothing else, it seemed strong enough to let Ludwig go free. "Alright, I hereby find the defendant, Ludwig Beilschmidt, NOT GUILTY!" The judge banged his gavel and the crowd (meaning the detectives and Feli) cheered. The group met up in the lobby and Feli immediately hugged Ludwig with all the strength he could muster.

"Ve, you're free!" the Italian stated, almost brought to tears because of his elation.

Even Ludwig couldn't stop smiling. In a rare moment of weakness he ended up hugging his friend and even offering a smile to the detectives. "I owe you my thanks." He said to them.

"No problem dude! That's what heroes are for!" Alfred stated.

Kiku entered and Ludwig turned his attention to him. At that Feli let go and hugged the lawyer instead. "Thank you so much!"

"Yes, I owe you my freedom. Thank you."

"I'm just doing my job." Kiku said in his usual stoic manner.

Alfred interjected then, "hey man, go enjoy the rest of your vacation. You still got time right?"

"Ve, yeah, how long do we have?"

Ludwig thought for a second then. "I'd say we've got five days left."

"Then let's go! We gotta make up for lost time!" He pulled and tugged at Ludwig's sleeve, and so the German followed. They left together and never looked back.

"So, are you going to congratulate me?" Alfred said.

Arthur sighed. "Alright, how about A&amp;W this time?"

"Yeah!"

And so Ludwig and Italy enjoyed the rest of their vacation, Arthur and Alfred clogged their arteries with fast food, and Kiku continued being an effective lawyer.

-The End-

* * *

A/N: Well, that's it. I hope you liked it. If you have a request, send it over, I might make it happen! Maybe, I'll try. Anyway, have a nice day!


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